Trump Wins Concessions On Climate, Trade As G20 Leaders Agree On Summit Statement

U.S. President Donald Trump has secured key concessions on trade and climate in the final communique of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Hamburg, in what German Chancellor Angela Merkel characterized as a need for compromise.

Following a two-day summit in which tensions over climate and trade simmered, the 19 other members of the club of major industrialized and emerging economies acknowledged in the final summit statement on July 8 Washington's decision under U.S. President Donald Trump to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate accord.

The communique also conceded to the U.S. side's wish to include language on fossil fuels that other leaders had balked at.

Addressing reporters on the second and final day of the summit, however, Merkel told news conference that she was "very happy" that all of the other members agreed that the Paris accord was "irreversible."

Describing the negotiations over climate and other issues as "complicated," Merkel stressed that her role as host included facilitating "compromising," adding that the group could "achieve more together than individually."

The final day of talks followed another night of violent riots near the venue -- clashes between antiglobalization activists and police that have overshadowed the summit of leaders of the world's major industrialized and emerging economies.



Trade was another disputed issue during the talks, and the final statement left room for Trump to push forward with his "America First" trade policy, which has hampered consensus on globalization and trade since he took office in January.

A European Union official close to the negotiations told RFE/RL that aides worked until 2 a.m. on the G20 summit's joint statement before reaching consensus to include free-trade language on fighting "protectionism," which Washington had been reluctant to agree to, the official said.

But the communique included for the first time the right of countries to protect their markets with "legitimate trade-defense instruments."

Leaders attending the summit included Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and China's President Xi Jinping as well as European and Asian leaders.

The section on climate change had remained the subject of disagreement as leaders went into negotiations early on July 8. Reuters quoted an EU official as saying earlier on July 8 that there was a "critical mass of countries" that objected to including the reference to fossil fuels in the G20 communique.

The final statement included language sought by the U.S. side, noting Washington would "work closely with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently."

The standoff over the climate issue came as world leaders this week stepped up pressure on Trump in the wake of his announcement that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

"We are not renegotiating the Paris agreement -- that stays. But I want to see the U.S. looking for ways to rejoin it," British Prime Minister Theresa May told the BBC.........................

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